srs bsnss
by Ryuki Rose
Summary: AU. Korra the Avatar reblogs some gifs from her favorite cartoon show, an anon berates her - in an ask - since the show encourages Inequality. Guess who the anon is. Eventually, Amon and Korra fulfill each other's kink memes on a SpiritJournal - not realizing the identity of the other - and they eventually find out the truth. Things get even more awkward at a con.
1. Chapter 1

This was inspired by perdexis's prompt, where it was requested that Amon is a justice blogger who anonhates on Korra. Go read the prompt! :]

Disclaimer: I don't own tlok or its characters.

xxx

The wee hours of the morning on tmbler, when the sleep-deprived sallied forth and the early-risers halfway across the world joined in. Korra loved it. About a quarter til two in the morning, her tmbler had a huge influx of messages, reblogs, likes, asks, and so much more. She thrived for the hour. The night had been particularly slow, though Korra had found quite a few gifs from her favorite cartoon show - The Legend of Friendship Magic - to reblog. She didn't care if it was a show for little kids; the general messages of tolerance and balance were great, not to mention there was some hidden humor for the older fans.

Suddenly, the envelope logo blinked, a little speech-bubble with the number '1' flickered across it. Clicking it, Korra quickly skimmed the ask. Paused. Skimmed it again, eyebrows furrowing.

On her screen, a greyfaced icon spat out, _"Those gifs from that deplorable cartoon are disgusting. They just emphasize how benders abuse their powers in this world and how media portrays it as perfectly natural to demean non-benders. You are a failure of an Avatar." _

The sleep sifted out of Korra as she scooted upright in her chair. A sudden burst of energy coursed through her as she angrily tapped out a vicious reply to the hateful anon. Let that show him! She looked over her reply, with sleepy eyes, nodded her head as she set her jaw and hit "publish".

Within seconds, the reply to her ask had almost a hundred likes and reblogs. Justification swelled in Korra's chest as she sat back and watched the number grow. Despite wanting to see the anon's silly ragefest over her brilliant retort, exhaustion returned tenfold. Snapping her laptop shut, Korra clambered off to bed.

xxx

Somewhere, in a middle-class neighborhood in a lower-class apartment complex, two men were also still up. They had spent the night editing together educational videos for the Equality movement and writing tactful, intelligent responses to the multitude of ignorant benders on the web.

"Oi, cap, she replied to you already!" Bags hung under Lieu's blue eyes as he spun the deskchair around to face away from the computer. On the screen, tmbler idly glowed.

Noatak poked his head out of the kitchenette of his apartment, caught in mid-swig of a beer. He finished his drink and threw a quirked eyebrow look at Lieu, "Well, going to read it?"

"You gotta see it for yourself, sir." Lieu grinned, somewhat cruelly, as he hopped off the chair. Bowing low, he motioned for Noatak to sit.

The brunette narrowed his eyes, but took a seat, not sure what would amuse Lieu so much. Stumbling upon Avatar Korra's tmbler had been accidental, though it wasn't as if it was hidden. She was a fairly recognized character, worshiped both "irl" and online. Noatak had just never bothered with following her drivel. She was still a teenager - barely - and unlikely to understand the complexities of media or politics. It was a wonder the paparazzi hadn't scrounged up naked photos of her, given the era of technology, but he supposed her mentors kept a tight rein on her. Perhaps they even hovered over her shoulder, chiding her on what she was about to post before giving her advice on proper wording.

As his eyes slid over her words, stumbling through fierce typos and terrible grammar, Noatak realized that wasn't the case. Oh no. She was working completely solo.

_"look mr greyface cowerd its a cartoon ment for enjoyement i liek it for is hoomer wich u no nothing about taek ur bending envy somewear else!"  
_  
"Well?" Lieu sniggered.

Noatak didn't reply, his eyes drifting over the words repeatedly. A dull throb pulsed at the bridge of his nose. Clenching his eyes shut and shaking his head, he pursed his lips, "If I start frothing at the lips, you may wish to inform the hospital it's brain poisoning."

xxx

Korra couldn't sleep. She was too eager to see if the greyfaced hater had replied. Within half an hour of "going to bed," she returned to tmbler. Narrowing her eyes against the glare of the screen, Korra cursed herself for even attempting sleep. Now her eyes burned as she attempted to read the website. Her heart gave a twist of excitement seeing that beautiful '1' flashing outside the envelope icon.

She clicked it, read it, and deflated.

It was from LightningKnight, a friend she knew in real life and a teammate on her probending team. Caught between disappointment - since it wasn't the hatemail she was anticipating - and excitement - he was her crush, _after all_! - Korra forced her eyes to adjust to the screen.

_"Korra, just ignore the anonhater. If he had any balls, he wouldn't've messaged you on anon. The guy is a total skeeze, pretending to be an internet hotshot." _

She quickly shot off a reply, thanking Mako for his nice words and agreeing that she should have just ignored the anonymous antagonist. Just as she finished, another message popped up! Could this be the greyface replying to her? Korra quickly clicked the logo, as if waiting too long would make the message disappear.

MustachesMakeEverythingLegit - or Bolin as he was known around town - had added his own comment to the drama, _"dude, why do people blame everything on you? its a cartoon! you can't control EVERYTHING. i think you're an amazing avatar Korra!"_

A light smile quirked at Korra's lips. Well, the support was better than nothing. Again, she shot off a thank you to her friend and prepared to return to bed. Her eyelids were beginning to weight down, threatening to make the Avatar faceplant into her laptop.

Before she snapped the laptop shut, another message popped up. Sighing, Korra clicked it. She was prepared for Asami or another reply from one of the brothers. Instead, her heart leapt into her throat with surprise. Her anon-hater returned her rebuke!

A quick click and she was reading the rebuttal, _"Cartoons are another form of media that molds far more impressionable minds, such as yours. When children - and even adults - are subjected to Inequalist Culture, they tend to carry that discrimination all their life and know no better. Promoting such a show keeps the world imbalanced, which means you've failed your position and enabled the problem. Congratulations_

_PS: Check out 'Loony Savages' on Yuetube._"

Korra quirked an eyebrow, but humored the anon's request. Going to Yuetube, she typed in Loony Savages in the search box, her curiosity more piqued as she noticed 'banned cartoon' being added to the search request. She found what appeared to be a decent version, adjusted her volume, and waited for it to buffer to the beginning.

xxx

Noatak groaned as he woke to the insistent clatter of his cellphone vibrating against the bedside table. There should have been a law against texting someone an hour after they finally went to bed. Then again, Noatak really should've known better than to attempt a semi-all-nighter. At his age, really. But the Internet was an amazing resource when rallying for a cause, spreading a message, or beginning a movement. Though the methods were rarely as radical as he wished, the Equalists had made some progress.

Flopping an arm out to snatch his cellphone, the man missed, knocked the phone off the table, and hissed, "Shit."

Hauling himself to the side of the bed, he fumbled in the dark for the glowing phone. As it rattled against the floor, it sounded angry and excited. Finally, his fingertips touched the plastic. Clenching it in his hand, Noatak brought it up and narrowed his eyes against the bright screen. A text from Lieu. He should've known. The man had a night-job where very little happened. He was a good asset in keeping an eye on any particular late-night news that involved the Equality movement or Inequalist culture.

Damn if the man wasn't gung-ho about the cause at horrible hours. Noatak just hoped the text was somewhat important. He wasn't sure if he could handle another whinefest about how a meme just insulted the Equalists.

"She replied. :)"

It took Noatak's sleep-deprived brain to put two and two together. Lieu was talking about the Avatar. Somewhat disturbed by his right-hand man's obsessive tendencies, Noatak still rolled out of bed. His bare feet padded across his threadbare carpet, into his living room where his desktop squatted on a desk from United Salvation.

Taking a seat, Noatak leaned back in his chair and tapped a random key. His computer whirred and groaned to life, albeit slowly. The man wondered if he could get another hour's sleep while his computer warmed up. It was tempting. Yawning, he leaned his head back against the top of his chair and spun back and forth, waiting for the telltale whirs.

Finally, the screen flashed to life. Noatak sat up straight, leaned over his keyboard, and made his way through the annals of the Internet until he got to Korra's tumblr. It seemed an explosion had erupted from his last ask.

_"congradulations anon ur gonna make me turn off anon asks! comparin that vid to the legend of friendship magic is just wrong. lofm is funni but 'loony savages' is downrite disgisting & racist. taek ur trollin and gtfo my tmbler u creep"_

The reblogs were momentous, but there were mixed replies to Korra's reaction. Some were smug Equalists, informing her that there was no difference; many others supported her decision, telling her to not bother with the grey-faced troll.

Noatak was unimpressed. Though, he didn't expect much more from the Avatar. She had been raised, all her life, as the most powerful being on the planet. Sheltered, adored and idolized, never in want of a thing. The world had been handed to her on a silver platter, all thanks to her status as a multi-bender.

Meanwhile, non-benders feared for their lives as they walked the streets in areas inhabited by bending gangs.

A sickened swirl curled through Noatak's stomach at the thought. He clicked her ask link - egotistically labeled 'find out the secrets of the universe! maybe ;)' - and began an ask under his lead tumblr account. Noatak hadn't wanted to reveal himself. He knew she would scream, in all caps, about him being biased since he belonged to a fairly anti-bender movement. Noatak didn't care. Perhaps it was thanks to sleep and strained patience, perhaps he hoped - deep down - the Avatar would eventually understand. After all, if the harbinger of balance couldn't see the evils he pointed out, what hope did the world have?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own TLOK or its characters.

Part of Summer of Amorra: 1000.

xxx

**Chapter 2: Cat Lady Miyuki**

The next morning, Korra staggered out of her bedroom, bags under her eyes and exhaustion weighing down on her limbs. She had waited an hour, in case the anonymous asker decided to toss off his anonymity. The guy - or maybe girl - apparently was simply hiding behind the mask of the Internet. Korra was somewhat disappointed at that revelation.

As she bumbled into the kitchen, she realized her mother was already there - as per usual - drinking a cup of jasmine tea and playing the word scramble in the Republitropolis - Republic City's painfully-named newspaper. Korra bustled back and forth through the kitchen, gathering the parts needed to make a delicious bowl of KiyoshiOs and a glass of Taang. Once finished, she sat down across the table from Senna, "Morning, mom."

"Morning, sweetheart!" Senna looked up, peering over the top of her reading glasses as she flashed her daughter a smile. It was somewhat muted from her usual early-morning beams, though. Korra's mother shifted, folding her paper in half before taking a long sip from her teacup. As soon as Korra filled her mouth with cereal, Senna placed out her worries, "Sweetie, I saw your tmbler. The anonymous asks, in particular."

Korra choked on her breakfast. She knew her mom occasionally browsed through her tmbler, hence why most of it was acceptable, but she hadn't even thought of her mother - or any of her other guardians - when taking on that anon-hate! Korra pounded a fist on her chest, eyes watering as throat-scratching coughs and hacks flew from her mouth. She nearly jumped as Senna's hand slapped against her back, surprised by the ninja-like silence and speed her mother displayed. Finally, the ball of half-chewed cereal went down and Korra took a long, hard gulp of her citrusy Taang to dislodge any sharp, cereal shrapnel left.

"Wha-what did you wanna talk about, mom?" Korra coughed out, putting her glass down and turning to her mother.

Senna moved from her crouch and pulled a chair closer to Korra, taking a seat as she spoke, "Well, I'm worried that you may not understand that Tribesmen and Tribeswomen have had - and still have - some difficulties in society."

Korra raised her eyebrows, eyes widening slightly, "What do you mean? We've never been treated badly, have we?"

"Well," Senna averted her gaze, "Since you were publically deemed the Avatar, no."

The Avatar narrowed her eyes, "What's that mean?"

"Well, for example: your father and I still get comments, occasionally, about how long we've been together," Senna explained, bringing her eyes back to her daughter. She had found some flare of determination and now used it to push through the conversation, "It's not quite a big deal in the Water Tribe to marry young, younger than the norm here."

"That's so stupid!"

"Yes, well, it's the truth. Then there's the stereotypes," Korra's mother began to count them off on her fingers, "Dancing naked during a full moon, using whale-seal lard in all of our cooking, polygamy - I don't even know... - and so many, many more. Some much worse."

Korra sat back in her chair, eyes drifting to her bowl of cereal as foggy - almost inconsequential - memories loomed to the surface. Neighbors always asking if it were a full moon when they had parties; vegan airbenders uncertain of Senna's leafy contributions at potlucks; questionable comments that grinning men made to her father about things that, at the time, Korra hadn't understood. The Avatar felt a twist in her stomach as she realized the meaning behind those actions. Disgust, anger, breathless agitation, and pain fluttered through her mind.

"Korra, it's not as bad as it once was," Senna's hand on her shoulder brought the Avatar from her inner-thoughts. Korra glanced up at her mother, another flicker of pain pushing into her body as she noted the bittersweet smile on Senna's lips, "I just wanted you to realize that anonymous ask wasn't unjustified. Can you see where they're coming from now?"

Thinking back to the cartoon, a bitter lump dropped into her stomach. She recalled the caricatures of overly-dressed Tribesmen dancing sillily around a neighborhood while hunting deer-elk. The Tribeswomen hadn't been depicted much better; at home, they wore almost nothing, seemed to have nothing better to do than to dote on their husbands, and seemed ludicriously alright with being stepped on, bossed around, or berated by the men. Small snippets made more sense since Senna's explanation; an older man with his arms around two younger women in the background, a "housewife" unloading a can of 'Tui Brand Lard' into a soup. Albeit, it all was done in what was meant as a humorous tone, Korra still felt the sting of indignant rage.

The Avatar turned those thoughts over to the Legend of Friendship Magic, wondering how she would have felt had she been a non-bender watching that episode. Better yet, if she was a non-bender watching the show period. Korra's stomach lurched.

Her mother's voice, again, brought her from her reverie, "Aren't you going to be late?"

"For what?"

"Well, it's Saturday. Don't you usually go to pro-bending practice?"

Korra jolted upright in her chair, eyes seeking out the digital clock which read four past nine. She was nineteen minutes late, "Crap! I'm late, sorry! I gotta go, I'll clean up later!"

Korra's words disappeared down the hallway, along with the young woman. Senna listened, with an amused smile, as her daughter rushed about upstairs and fumbled around. Soon, the illustrious Avatar thumped back down the stairs, paused to put her shoes on, and then bolted out the door with a quick, "I love you, mom. Bye!"

Senna chuckled and stood, picking up Korra's left-behind cereal and Taang. The woman went about tidying up, throwing out the soggy cereal and putting away the milk. As she closed the door, her eyes caught the happy family photos magnetized to the front. Senna sighed, that smile twitching a little wider as her fingertips traced over one of the photos.

xxx

Korra tried to water-whip her thoughts away, aiming at the durable dummy that catered solely to her waterbending moves. Behind her, she could hear Bolin's grunts and the clatter of his rock disks as they slammed to the floor, after falling into a net. Further away, the Avatar heard Mako's growls as he blasted fire from his fists at a flame-resistent dummy. Sweat, scorched plastic, and dust clung to the air, but its usual calming abilities did nothing for Korra.

The anon's point being proven by her mother unsettled the Avatar. Briefly, she wondered if Senna had been the anon, but dismissed the feeling. She doubted her mother cared about the cartoon gifs and, if she had, she would have discussed it like a mature adult with Korra. Whether the Avatar would've listened was a whole different matter.

"Hey, Korra?" Bolin's worried voice roused the Avatar from her thoughts. Korra yelped, water dropping to the ground with a splash as she turned to Bolin. The earthbender smiled uncertainly at her, "You okay?"

She forced a grin to her face, putting her hands on her hips in a mock sense of confidence, "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you've sorta been moving the water around in a circle," Bolin moved his index finger in an 'o' to emphasize his point, "Not really hitting the dummy."

"Oh." Korra glanced at the red dummy. It glared at her with an unsated masochistic rage. Rubbing the back of her neck, the Avatar glanced back at Bolin, "I guess I do have stuff on my mind."

"Is it that stupid anon?" Mako's voice shot out from across the gym. He stopped his training and made his way over to his teammates, joining the impromptu huddle.

"Kind of, my mom talked to me this morning," Korra shifted on her feet, averting her gaze from the fiery amber stare Mako possessed, "Since I've been Avatar, my family hasn't been bothered much by stereotypes or racism, but there have been small things, I guess."

"Like what?" Bolin's eyes widened in innocent shock.

"Asking if it's a full moon when we invite people to dinner, asking my mom how much older my dad is," Korra shrugged, feeling uncomfortable with this topic. Talking to Mako and Bolin made her feel as if her outrage were somehow foolish, but - at the same time - she still felt sickened by the fact anyone could judge her based on her heritage, "Small things, but it hurt me finding out my mom and dad did have to go through that sort of stuff."

"That video was extreme, though," Mako's eyebrows furrowed into a 'V' while his frown remained on his lips. He shifted, crossing his arms as he continued, "And it was in the past. It's not like Tribespeople are still treated like that or thought of that way."

The Avatar shifted uneasily, rubbing at her opposite elbow awkwardly. Apparently people did still think of the Water Tribe in that fashion, at least somewhat. If they were worried about nude dances at dinnertime, meaty cooking, age differences, and polygamy - and who knew what else? - there were stereotypes and hurtful things thought of kinsfolk, her family, and herself. The City was fairly progressive, true, but there were definitely harsher places in the world that still clung to discrimination.

In the face of Mako's intensity, though, Korra withered. She wanted him to like her, she wanted his acceptance. She wouldn't get that if she constantly whined about possible discrimination, stereotypes, or racism depicted against her people. Who cared? He made a good point. The pain was in the past and, if there were residual effects today, well, Korra would face them head-on and destroy them!

"Yeah, you're right, Mako." Korra flashed him a smile as she fisted her hands, "Let's get back to training!"

xxx

Settling into his chair, after a long - tiresome - shift at his "day job", Noatak turned to his humming computer. Lieu had left earlier than normal; Noatak felt a tad guilty, knowing the man's personal life had suffered for their cyber movement. Lieutenant was a grown man, however, capable of prioritizing. His wife did, admittedly, deserve more attention and Noatak hoped that the 'd' word wasn't lingering in her mind for all Lieu put her through.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Noatak glanced over his bookmarks. After the words exchanged between himself and the Avatar, Noatak almost went to tmbler, but paused. No, not right away. He wasn't desperate to read her mind-numbing replies. Instead, he typed in a memorized URL which threw him to his guilty pleasure SpiritJournal kinkmeme community.

He felt a little ridiculous, being a part of such a community. He was forty, after all. At the same time, the Internet did shine a light on the deep, dark crevices of the mind that were, typically, kept secret. Shifting, he signed onto his account and scrolled through new prompt requests for the hit detective show, Detective Iroh.

"Zuko saves Jin the singer, the stripper, the undercover cop, the gangleader," Noatak mumbled to himself as he read over prompts, "Iroh gets drunk and goes home with barlady Wu; Iroh and Ozai; Iroh and the neglected Madam Poppy come to terms on proper exchange for information.

"Iroh and June." Noatak sat up straight in his chair, bracing his elbow on the desk and cupping his chin in his hand as he read over the prompt for one of his preferable pairings. His eyebrows twitched up, somewhat intrigued as his eyes trailed over the prompt.

_'Pairing: Iroh and June. June refuses to help the old codger in his newest, and most elusive, case. Detective Iroh decides to take a more hands-on and...heated approach than usual to get information out of the beautiful bounty-hunter-for-hire. Bonus Points: Waxplay._'

Waxplay. Well, that was a new one. Typically, the pairing involved power struggles, hilarious drunken scenes, or saving each other from the Big Bad. Noatak leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as ideas sifted through his mind.

Noatak scooted closer to his keyboard, took a swig from his bottle of water, and began typing a short fanfiction that would have killed his reputation as the leader of the Equalists.

xxx

Frustrated, Korra pushed away from her laptop, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She had been arguing with that stupid anon - who had revealed himself as the online Equalist coordinator, Amonymask, after she denied anonymous asks - since she came home from pro-bending practice. She was frustrated, unable to make a point stick against the infuriating man's logic and debate skills. No matter what she said, how she brushed him off, he returned with a more eloquent and learned response. It wasn't like fighting the occasional troll that came her way.

All the while, fans of hers would stick up for her, complain about Amonymask, even go so far as to threaten him. While Amonymask ignored most of them, there was the occasional laugh-worthy snark. Despite their differing positions, Korra couldn't help but enjoy and be amused by some ofh is comments.

Which just made talking to him and arguing against him confusing.

_'korra just ignore that dumbass.'_ lit across her cellphone; a text from Mako, who had taken on and been defeated by Amonymask in one fell swoop.

In need of a break from the drama, Korra went to her bookmarks and clicked on a link she had renamed 'Pro-Bending SpiritJournal'. Excitement pricked at her heart as she realized someone had finally filled the Detective Iroh prompt she had put up three days ago.

xxx

We interrupt your previously scheduled fanfic for a mild kinkmeme.

xxx

June growled as she struggled against her whip, which Detective Iroh had knotted around her wrists during their scuffle. The woman never expected the short man to be so agile or capable of subduing her, especially in the close quarters of a hotel room. It was salt in her pride's wound to acknowledge the man had, in the past, always gone easy on her during their more physical confrontations. She'd be damned to admit it outloud.

From her kneeling position on the stained carpet, June glared up through stray locks of hair at the gumeshoe.

"You can't get me to tell you anything, fatso." Snarled the woman, trying to work her hands free from the restraint.

Detective Iroh merely chuckled, before looping am arm around the woman's midsection and hauling her over his shoulder. June grunted, shocked by the man's strength. He deposited her onto the hotel's bed and she let out a pained hiss as her weight landed atop her arms. The typically amiable detective didn't seem to notice or care as his eyes idly trailed over her body.

"What are going to do, old man, put me to b-" June didn't finish. Detective Iroh grasped the collar of her top, easily ripping it down the middle. The woman gave a shriek of outrage as an ambient chill brushed over her torso, "What the hell!"

Not unfamiliar with sexually despicable situations, June never imagined Detective Iroh to stoop to such a crime. She hauled herself into an upright sitting position, nearly headbutting Detective Iroh in her actions. The man quickly slammed his hand to her chest, pressing her back into the bed, pinning her down. June vaguely registered his hand was much larger than she ever thought.

"Sometimes, the most rewarding tea must be left to simmer before tasting."

"What in the world are you talk-"

June, again, was cut short. Fire flared to life in the detective's hand and, almost instantly, the female bounty hunter thought she was about to be burned alive, stuck as a charred corpse to the cheap bedsheets. The scent of smoke mingled with the seedy stench of the room. She eased as the man moved the flame to a candle that sat on the bedside table.

Weakness wasn't a virtue in her business, though, so her silence was short-lived, "I'm not really one for candlelit rape, sicko."

"I have nothing so vulgar in mind, June-bug." Iroh chuckled again, shaking his head as he picked up the candlestick. She visibly bristled as he used his preferred petname for her. His free hand moved to June's clothes, brushing the fabric away from her abdomen as he spoke. His calloused hand remained close to her, ready to press her body back into the bed as soon as she made any sudden movement, "This is a special candle. The wax melts, but it doesn't get as hot as your tyipcal taper. Though, it does still get quite warm."

June narrowed her eyes as the man tilted the candle, a dribble of red wax hit her pale stomach. The woman gasped as spidery tendrils of hot pain faded into a throb of pleasure. Shamefully, her back arched off the bed and her toes curled from enjoyment.

"Now, where do I find Cat Lady Miyuki?" The detective's voice was hard, stern, demanding.

"Like I'm going to tell you!"

"I never pegged you for a masochist, June," Iroh grinned, his lips curling amusedly. June was suddenly reminded the man hailed from the Fire Nation as the light of the candle sparked in his amber eyes. Though usually well-natured and lenient, tonight the man seemed to be living up to his crueler heritage, "Though, it is far from unappealing."

June averted her gaze, looking to the candle as another globule of wax gathered at the edge, slowly gaining mass until it plummeted to her stomach.

xxx

Now, back to your previously scheduled fanfiction.

xxx

The Avatar stared at he words on her screen, her face tinged with a blush as warmth boiled through her limbs. Many fans of Detective Iroh enjoyed June as a love interest for the old man, but few wrote in a way that kept Korra's attention. Then again, she was a hormonal teenager and usually skipped to the steamy, sexy bits. This SpiritJournaler, TheSolvent, kept Korra's attention rapt, without crude language or heart-throbbing smut.

Sadly, the writer hadn't added more.

The young woman chewed on the inside of her lip as she re-read what the man had written. She was hungry for more. More details, a longer story, more interaction between her favorite characters.

Leaning over her laptop, Korra quickly typed out a short, sweet response to the anonymous entity that only gave her a taste of a fill.

xxx

_"Wow, that was hot! My only issue is the fact it's so short. Where's the rest at?"_

Noatak grinned at the response from Cataclyschick. He felt a little smug that she enjoyed his writing so much and, in some minute detail, he held power over her. The man could continue or deny the chick any further pleasure. It was oddly riveting, in the most trivial of ways.

He quickly shot back a reply, before flicking to another tab, nose wrinkling and eyebrows furrowing as he re-read the latest response from The Avatar on her tmbler. How that young lady ever passed high school, he would never know. She was scrabbling to make weak points against his argument, saying that the past was in the past, that Tribesmen and Tribeswomen weren't discriminated against so much anymore. Excuses. All of them. And phrase in cliches.

Infuriatingly, her pro-bending teammates - Noatak wasn't beyond Internet snooping - were attempting to support her flimsy arguments. The LightningKnight, moreso than MustachesMakesItLegit, fought with a barely hidden rage, verging on a troll's wet-dream. Hilariously serious, but ignorant.

_"why don't you get off the computer and go get a life? you're what? 40? don't you have anything better to do than fight with people online? how pathetic."_

Noatak snorted. This kid - the firebender of the team, he presumed - attempting to berate him for not having a life? The hothead probably mindlessly followed the Avatars tits on Titter while liking all of her statuses on Maskbook and reblogging every post from tmbler! Talking about not having a life. Haha. Hah. At least Noatak used his resources to educate the masses.

In the back of his head, Noatak did wonder if he was being juvenile about the situation. He was a grown man; he should have a wife and children - if not simply a girlfriend - and a house. The things society always prescribed to "adult life." But, that was just it. The way society deemed what was appropriate or not; it made Noatak burn with indignity. It was no one's business how he chose to live life! He was trying to wage social change, with the Internet as his greatest source. He had formed peaceful protests and flash mobs through the world wide web; he offered a hand to those who felt weak, a voice to those too afraid to speak, a group to those who felt alone and abused.

Still, the man couldn't help his reply:

_"Don't you have anything better to do than to try to step between the Avatar and someone she is having a civilized - as much as she can manage - discussion with? I'm certain she can manage without your white-knighting; she is, after all, the Avatar and appears less dense - though slightly - than yourself."_


	3. Chapter 3

"Seriously, why don't you just block that Anonymask -"

"Amonymask."

Mako stared at Korra for a moment, but his water-bending teammate ignored the look, "_Whatever_. Why don't you just block him from your tmbler?"

"If I do that he'll think he won, or more will come in his place. Let him talk." Korra sighed and rolled her eyes. The Amonymask incidents had been happening daily now, for at least a month. It became tiring to think of, sometimes. Though, Korra was beginning to enjoy his different take on the world and she, grudgingly, became more aware of the privilegees and gifts she'd been squandering. Regardless, Amonymask wasn't someone or something she wanted to discuss with Mako, "Let's talk about other things! Like going to Republicon!"

"That thing this weekend at Bei Fong Arena? With all the cartoon and anime ner-" Mako paused, rethinking his phrase quickly and sputtering into place, "Er...fans?"

"They have sneak peeks on games, too! Like Grand Heist Satomobile and Legend of Yue!" Bolin threw into the conversation, his ear picking up topics of his favorite hobbies. The rock discs he had been practicing with an impromptu clattered to the floor of the gymnasium as he trod closer to Korra and Mako, "So, did you score free tickets or something?"

Korra rubbed the back of her neck, smiling, "Yeah."

"Awesome! How many? Can I go?" Excitement emanated from Bolin so strongly, Korra felt her own tummy flip with excitement.

Sternly, Mako muttered a reprimanding, "Bolin."

"I have four. Couldn't go to the con without my friends, could I?" Korra simply smiled. She wasn't about to admit to the brothers that Amonymask influenced her to actually buy the tickets herself. After an arduous weekend helping her father with construction work – and another weekend helping her mother run the dress shop she owned – Korra had enough money for four tickets, so she and her friends could go. Not that Asami really needed the ticket to be bought for her, but hey, the Sato Heir always paid for so much. It was about time Korra paid her back, even just a little.

"I'll be there!" Bolin pumped his fist in the air, all eagerness and earnestness.

"How about you, Mako?" Korra asked, feeling suddenly shy. He really hadn't seemed interested in the beginning.

The firebender eyed Korra, perhaps not entirely certain the Avatar had been sincere. Regardless, he sighed under the weight of her hopeful smiled and offered her a small grin in return, "Well, you already bought the ticket. I'd be an ass to say no."

Korra's slight smile morphed into a full-blown beam, totally ecstatic. The subject of Amonymask dissipated as the three made further plans. Hotel rooms were needed, cameras, spending money – which Korra had earned for herself among a little extra for the brothers – and miscellaneous items were spoken of. Despite the excitement, which simply increased upon the arrival of Asami, Korra couldn't help a small itch at the back of her mind. A chime that reminded her to take her laptop, not only for Amonymask's comments, but also for to continue her steamy Irune roleplay with the one who filled her kinkmeme on SpiritJournal, TheSolvent.

Xxx

Noatak strolled through the convention, the scent of body odor and perfume hung heavy in the air. In many ways, it was like returning to high school, especially with the gradual influx of younger fans over the years. He shouldn't complain, he met plenty of his followers at conventions. That was the point of the mask he sported and the 'secret phrase' that his worldwide Equalists would say to him to verify his identity. The phrase changed from event to event, as did Noatak's clothes, but the mask remained. It was a symbol as much as it was a representation of himself, or so Lieu had said.

Regardless, Noatak felt himself glancing around every corner, being a bit more careful where he tread and just who he ran into. Though he doubted the Avatar was clever enough to associate his mask to his icon, or even intelligent enough to associate the mask to him, Noatak felt unease.

Then again, he was possibly feeling the loneliness of venturing into the convention solo. Lieu's wife had put her foot down, saying it was reprehensible that men of their age were religiously attending a con where so many nearly-naked jailbaits sauntered. At her insinuation, Noatak felt a bit dirty about himself. Were the half-naked cosplayers a perk of the convention? Was he really just a dirty old man?

At that thought, a girl of water tribe origin bounded by, the metal of her skanty outfit clinking. It was easy enough to identify the outfit as the same Kyoshi wore in Kyoshi: Warrior Woman. Though the original Kyoshi had been rather modest and fully clothed, the producers of the day thought it was more...interesting to put her in a chainmail bikini and skirt, leaving mid-drift, thighs, arms, and – of course – cleavage on fanservice display.

Noatak would've been lying if he hadn't admitted to his eye following her for a moment. Realizing his transgression, Noatak tore his gaze away from her, mentally reprimanding the hormonal response. He was forty! Not some wily, virgin teenager! He should have better control of his reactions, especially when it was toward the Avatar!

...

The man's eyes snapped back to the Kyoshi cosplayer, his subconscious had realized it before he did. The Avatar was cosplaying as the Warrior Woman. He paused, torn between blending into the crowd and bleeding into the shadows or simply standing there. She'd never know who he was. Still, here they were – Avatar and revolutionary – at a convention. Much could be discussed and said and _done_. A voice at the back of Noatak's mind expanded upon the last option, bringing about very unprofessional images.

He shook his head, dislodging the thoughts. No. She was damn well half his age, if that, and she was a _raging_ idiot. Not to mention she was surrounded by, undoubtedly, lackeys. Though it was surprising to see the Sato heir among the posse, Noatak was unsurprised by the two young men. He bet his bottom dollar the two were the tit-following, white-knighting wanks from tmbler.

"Seriously? You like that pairing?" One of the Avatar's white knights peeped up as they looked over the merchandise on a table.

The Avatar held up a comic, flipping through the meticulous work and peeping at some of the more x-rated scenes, "Yeah, why not? Their dynamic is awesome!"

"Yeah, but June and Detective Iroh?" The boy wrinkled his nose in disgust, holding the doujinshii as if it would bite him, "That's, like, a thirty year age difference. Pretty gross. She'd need someone younger for her...y'know."

"Pfft, Tenzin and Pema have sixteen years between them." Korra replied, a grin on her lips, "And they're working on child number five. Seems like the older guys have just as much drive."

"It's really all about health," The Sato heir added, smiling, "You could be old as dirt, but still virile if you kept a good regimen."

The boy – Fire Nation, Noatak noted – eyed the wavy-haired young woman, "Do you have a fetish for older guys too, Asami?"

"It's not a fetish!" Korra snapped, throwing the comic down a little more roughly than appreciated. Asami threw the young man a glare, before following after the Avatar.

Noatak watched, eyebrows cocked behind his mask. So, the Avatar was a fan of the Irune pairing as well? That was curious.

A sudden warning bell flung through his head. What if, and this was a rather big what if, but what if the Avatar was the young lady he was... The thought made Noatak's stomach flip in a confusion of emotions. Calmly, despite the storm of chaos under his thoughts, the man found a free bench and sat down heavily, letting his thoughts swirl around the newest problem. If the Avatar was his roleplay partner, and the young lady he happened to fill a kinkmeme for...Noatak felt a strange surge of confusion. It really shouldn't bother him, though. People roleplayed, dirty, with others all the time and kinkmemes were always being filled! Why would this one instance be different, should he be correct in his instant presumption?

Because, he'd seen her nearly naked in that outfit and, for the life of him, those curves weren't dissipating from his mind's eye. The toned, bare mid-drift, the strong and firm thighs, the gentle and soft curve of her breasts. Noatak clenched his eyes shut, shaking the images away. No, no, _no_.

Xxx

"Don't listen to Mako. Irune isn't a gross pairing, Korra!" Asami offered Korra a smile, hoping to alleviate her friend's downtrodden expression, "My mom and dad were, like, ten years apart in age."

"Thanks, Asami." The Avatar offered her friend a smile, before turning her gaze back to the convention. There had to be something to get her mind off of Mako's expression. As much as she liked the firebender, as much as she adored his attention – guiltily with Asami so close – there were times Mako could be a real jerkbender. Though he didn't know it, Mako had really struck a cord in Korra; she enjoyed Irune and, for the most part, the pairing was constantly under fire for the age-gap and the "foe yay" concept. It was touted as ridiculous, disgusting, horrific, and so many other negatives that Korra sometimes felt bad for enjoying it so much. Those sorts of responses always made her wonder if there were something wrong with her.

"Hey, Korra, want some bubble tea?" Asami suggested, pointing to a stand selling 'authentic' Airbender bubble tea. Korra paused, glancing around. She was somewhat surprised to find herself outside the convention hall, storming around a food court area. Though, since she was the Avatar, many peers gave her a wide berth, especially when she was looking livid.

Korra's eyes landed on the orange and yellow stand and, suddenly, her tummy grumbled and her mouth felt inexplicably dry.

"That sounds really good."

xxx

"Oh, no! I left the money with Bolin!"

The words roused Noatak from the crummy little table he sat at. Typically, he'd have packed his own lunches and drinks, but today called for a disgusting, though comforting, meal of grease, fat, and sugar. Glancing up from his beef-pork hamburger, he felt an excited jolt jam across his guts.

It was the Avatar and Sato heir.

"Think you can go find him real quick?"

"He doesn't have a cellphone." Asami nearly wailed. Korra could understand the frustration; Asami had tried, repeatedly, to give things to the brothers. Both of them declined, every time, despite it being logical to accept. Though Bolin was more at ease with accepting gifts, the young earthbender tended to listen to proud Mako. Asami turned to the clerk, who wore a mixed look of boredom and annoyance, holding the bubble tea, "I'm sorry, I know you made our drinks, but we don't have any mon-"

A co-worker – more bubbly than the tea she served – jumped forward, pushing her lackluster peer out of the way as she leaned across the counter, "Oh my God! Aren't you Asami Sato?"

"Yes, I-"

"And you're _the Avatar_!" She shrieked, snatching the drinks from the other clerk. The bubbly young woman shoved the drinks across the counter, "Just take the drinks! You guys are, like, so awesome!"

Noatak snorted, his stomach churning with disgust. Of course. The Sato heir and the Avatar, using their titles to get freebies, though they didn't work for any of it. He began to clean his table, preparing to toss the remainder of his greasy meal into the trash.

"No, it's alright." Korra's voice roused Noatak this time. His eyes caught her quickly – embarrassingly – as she pushed the drinks back across the counter, "I don't want to get you in trouble with your boss or anything."

"She won't mind! Seriously, you keep us safe and stuff!"

Korra smiled, shaking her head as she insistently trudged further, "It's my job, I don't need any special treatment."

The man didn't even realize he had crossed the distance from his table to the counter until the sounds of his yuans clattered to the counter, "Here."

Between the gratitude from Asami, the squeal of delight from the bubble tea clerk and the ring of the cashier, Noatak almost missed Korra's reaction.

"Sir, you really don-" Her stumbling pause caught his attention, however. Noatak didn't dare look at her, hoping the hood of his sweatshirt actually hid most of his mask from view. He turned to leave in a mysterious wave of generosity, hoping to derail Korra's train of thought and silently dismiss her words. Her strong grip at his elbow forced him to stay and her insistence made him turn to face her.

Noatak stilled himself, waiting for the snarl of anger or perhaps the chill of bubble tea thrown into his face—er...mask.

"Are you Amonymask?" Korra cocked an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side.

Just as Noatak was about to deny it, Asami perked up, "Who?"

"It's some justice blogging jerk who starts up fights on my tmbler." Korra replied, cool and smooth, hands on her hips. Noatak, seething, completely missed the sidelong gaze the Avatar gave him, trying to discern his identity. She had looked into Amonymask and found out, through intense snooping and Asami's help, that the man did attend conventions. Typically, there was a secret phrase to utter to him, but neither of them had the attention to dig that up.

"Oh, that jerk!" Squeaked the bubbly clerk, unaware of what she was igniting in Noatak, "I see him all the time on tmbler! Why don't'cha just block him?"

"I am _not_ being a jerk simply for sharing an opposing , and logical, viewpoint." Noatak uttered through clenched teeth. The grin that split across Korra's face almost made him regret his moment of weakness.

"So, was that the secret phrase this time, _Mr. Amony_?" The Avatar asked, all grins and enjoyment.

Noatak felt the eyes on them, fans and critics of both Avatar and Equalist. The whispers hissed from table to table made his face burn. He knew what they were uttering; saying he was too old for cons, wondering why he even spread his words through such means, others sputtering about his assisting the Avatar. They'd consider him a hypocrite, say he gave just as much undeserving privilege to the young savior.

There had to be a way to salvage this situation. He glanced back at Korra, who still grinned with her hands on her hips - those damn curvy hips – and her cleavage on full display. Though the idea would tempt him, in all the wrong ways, Noatak felt quasi-political need to save face.

"Let us stroll and discuss the current state of bender privilege and non-bender suppression, yes?" He offered his arm to the Avatar. Her gaze flickered from his proffered arm to his mask, confusion and curiosity glinting in her eyes. There were two options: one, Korra denied him and he could later rant about her disagreeable inability to assist non-benders or, two, she could agree and they'd converse.

Neither seemed that bad, though a portion of his mind – perhaps a dirty part – preferred the latter option, as unlikely as it was.

Surprise rollicked through him as Korra's firm arm slid through his. Noatak focused on the Avatar as she stated, "Well, let us go for a walk then."

Reacting entirely on instinct, Noatak began to lead the young woman away from the food court. Rumors and murmurs followed their wake, frothing behind them in a flurry of rumor mill spinning. Asami debated on tailing them, curious to know what was about to go down. Just as she was about to trot after them, a voice called to her, "Asami!"

Turning, Asami nearly cringed, catching sight of Mako and Bolin charging toward her. Resisting the urge to glance the direction Korra and Amonymask went, Asami decided it was best to distract the brothers.

"Hey, Mako! Hey, Bolin! Have you seen Korra?" Asami pouted as they crossed the distance, "I told her I was grabbing some tea, but she just disappeared on me..."

xxx


End file.
